The Renais sance1500-1660
His torical context
• 1509 Henry VIII becomes king (6 wives )
• 1534 Henry head of Churchof England
• 1547 Edward VI becomes king
• 1553 Mary I becomes queen
• 1558 Elizabeth I becomesqueen
The Tudors
Kings and Queens
After the Tudors
• 1605 Gunpowder plot:a ttack on King andParliament
• 1625 King Charles I
• 1648 King Charlesdeported, Brita in becomesa Republic.
•1603 Elizabeth dies , king J ames I
Religious ly confus ing
• Henry VIII breaks with Rome : s tart of Protes tantChurch
• Edward VI: Protes tant king (1547-1553)
• Mary I: Roman Catholic
• Elizabeth I, J ames I &Charles I: Protes tant
• 1648: Republic lead by s trict Puritans
• 1660: King Charles II: The Merry Monarch!
Different way of looking atthe world
People s tarted to s eethems elves as individualsins tead of members of acertain community.
Different way of looking atthe world
Life is no longer jus t apreparation for the after-life ; people explore andenjoy life as much asthey can.
Different way of looking atthe world
People no longers imply accept whatthe church tells thembut bas e their viewson things on res earch.
Origins of the renais sance
Art and Literature
• Renais sance s tarted in Italy; renewedinteres t in Roman and Greek culture
•Start of Tudor rule usually seen as s tartingpoint in England (1485)
Characteris tics
• Imitation of form s tyle and metric s ys tems formRoman and Greek cultures
• Beauty of form and s ound more important
• People s ign their work; after all; theydes erve credit for them
• More expres s ion of pers onalfeelings
• Religious drama replaced bys ecular drama
Poetry
• 14 lines : three quatrains and a couplet
• Couplet contains a volta
• Strict rhyme s cheme and iambic pentameter)(da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM)
• love for a lady adored by the author
• the pas s ing of time, the idea that life will end
Englis h s onnets :
Themes
Sonnet 130 –William Shakes peare
My mis tres s’eyes are nothing like the s un
Coral is far more red than her lips’red;
If s now be white, why then her breas ts are dun;
If hairs be wires , black wires grow on her head.
I have s een ros es dam as ked, red and white,
Buy no s uch ros es s ee I in her cheeks ;
And in s om e perfum es is there m ore delight
Than in the breath that from m y m is tres s reeks .
I love to hear her s peak, yet well I know
That mus ic hath a far more pleas ing s ound;
I grant I never s aw a goddes s go;
My mis tres s when s he walks treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think m y love as rare
As any s he belied with fals e com pare.
Drama
Unities• Time• Place• Plot
No women on s tage!
Shakespeare’s Work
• 37 plays• Tragedies
• Comedies
• His tories
• 154 s onnets
• 4 longer poems
His tory playsBas ed on the lives of real Englis hKings
Tragedies• One central figure
• Element of hope
• Death to the protagonis t
Comedies• Language• Love• Complex plots• Mis taken identities
Hamlet in 1 minute
Sonnet 75 –Edmund Spens er(from Amoretti) (1552-1599)
One day I wrote her name upon the s trand,
but came the waves and was hed it away:
again I wrote it with a s econd hand,
but came the tide , and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, s aid s he, that does t in vain as s ay,
a m ortal thing s o to im m ortalize .
for I m ys elf s hall like to this decay,
and eek my name be wiped out likewis e.
Not s o, (quoth I) let bas er things devis e
to die in dus t, but you s hall live by fame:
my vers e your virtues rare s hall eternize ,
and in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas death s hall all the world s ubdue,
our love s hall live, and later life renew.
in een nieuwe poging
getij; inspanningen; prooi
dwaze;tevergeefs ; proberen
s terfelijk;ons terfelijk maken
want ik za l op dezelfde manier in verva l raken
ook;uitgevaagd
zei ik; laa t lagere schepsels de bedoeling hebben om tot
s tof weder te keren
jouw uitzonderlijke eigenschappen; vereeuwigen
terwijl;onderwerpen
